UA coach Sean Miller is becoming more visible to players from elite prep schools (US Presswire Photo)

Arizona’s recruitment of players from top-flight prep programs, such as Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy and Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep, has never been as prevalent as it is now.

The number of players attending such institutions who are interested in Arizona increased by one Monday. Class of 2011 point guard Quinn Cook is leaving Hyattesville (Md.) DeMatha for Oak Hill, where he will become a teammate of UA commit Sidiki Johnson. Johnson transferred to Oak Hill from Newark (N.J.) St. Benedict’s in May (he originally is from St. Raymond’s in the Bronx).

A couple of weeks ago, Class of 2011 small forward prospect Amir Garrett announced that he was leaving Lawndale (Calif.) Leuzinger for Findlay.

This exposure bodes well for UA coach Sean Miller‘s recruiting efforts, even if, for example, Class of 2011 shooting guard Nick Johnson decides to go elsewhere after completing his eligibility at Findlay. Making a name for himself, his staff and program to these high-profile recruits is extremely important especially because Miller did not attract such talent at Xavier.

Whereas they did not know much about Miller or his coaching style as recently as two years ago, these prep-school recruits have their eyes open now to his program. They no longer see Arizona as Lute Olson’s program. The reason: Arizona is now where it’s at with players who play for these college breeding operations.

Miller signed two from these institutions before he coached a game at Arizona: Lamont “MoMo” Jones from Oak Hill and Kevin Parrom from South Kent (Conn.) Prep.

Former UA coach Lute Olson tried to recruit talent out of Oak Hill Academy but struck out when three of its stars did not qualify academically or opted to go elsewhere — Orlando Vega, Stephen Jackson and Brandon Jennings (the NBA rookie sensation who played a year in Italy rather than honoring his letter of intent). Ben Davis is an Oak Hill alum, but he attended Florida and Kansas before landing in Tucson in 1994.

Cook’s transfer from DeMatha to Oak Hill was strictly a basketball decision, according to his mother Janet Cook in a Washington Post article.

“We’re an educated family, and we’re thinking outside the box here,” she said, referencing that this was not a decision based on academics. “This is about getting focused and preparing for the transition to college.”

Focused is the key word. The main reason why these prospects transfer from a traditional high school team to these high-profile programs is to get a taste of what college basketball is like before they advance to the next level. They experience travel and playing against the best talent at their age level — and, of course, the exposure.

That’s ironic in Cook’s case inasmuch as he is leaving DeMatha to escape his celebrity status at the school.

Cook, a member of the USA Basketball under-17 national team that will compete in the FIBA World Championships, has already experienced basketball at a level higher than the standard high school standout. In the last month alone, he has competed in the Pangos All-America Camp in Long Beach, Chris Paul Point Guard Camp in Winston-Salem, N.C., and trained with the U.S. team in San Antonio with other high-profile players.

If Cook happens to commit to Arizona — he told me last month that he plans an unofficial visit in August — Miller knows he will bring in a seasoned player who, for example, can weather a Pac-10 road trip more so than others. Cook will demand instant playing time. The same goes for Nick Johnson, who Miller has pursued aggressively since he took the UA job last April. And don’t forget Kadeem Jack, the ever-elusive recruit who remains interested in Arizona after deciding to attend South Kent instead.

Another Class of 2011 guard recruit Jahii Carson does not play for a private prep school. He instead hails from a public high school — Mesa. Carson apparently will stay at Mesa. Damien Leonard, a Class of 2011 sharpshooter from J.L. Mann High School in Greenville, S.C., is staying put at Mann for now. He lists his final five as Arizona, South Carolina, Clemson, Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech. He will likely take an official visit to Tucson in September or October.

Arizona signee Daniel Bejarano also avoided prep school by sticking with his roots at Phoenix North. The decision to stay was for the best from a team standpoint because the Mustangs won consecutive state titles to end his career.

“I could have played for a prep school,” Bejarano told me in April. “Some people asked me about it, but I just couldn’t see leaving my guys behind at North. I grew up with those guys. We’ve been teammates since we were freshmen. They’re like brothers to me.

“I knew that during the summer I would be playing some good players anyway (during the AAU circuit). And I always challenge myself to be a better player. I know that I improved a lot as a player playing at North.”

As recently as 10 years ago, it was unheard of for a player from DeMatha leaving for a higher profile program. Morgan Wootten built that into an elite program in his 46 years there (1956 to 2002) as a head coach. Former NBA stars Adrian Dantley and Danny Ferry played for Wootten. Even the venerable John Wooden once said of Wootten, “I stand in awe of him.”

Now, a player is leaving Wootten’s once-proud institution for what appears to be greener pastures. Talk about a sign of the times.

Cook’s move to Oak Hill also signals that Maryland and Georgetown are now considered long shots. He removes himself from Maryland and Georgetown fans at DeMatha bothering him about his next move. Kentucky and Duke are prominently mentioned with Cook. He also lists Arizona, North Carolina, Villanova, St. John’s and UConn as possibilities.

Miller and Co. are also prominently involved with other Findlay prospects such Class of 2012 recruit power forward Winston Shepard and Class of 2013 target Nigel Williams-Goss.

Of this group of six — Cook, Nick Johnson, Garrett, Jack, Shepard and Williams-Goss — the UA would be considered a success if it can land one of them (in addition to Sidiki Johnson) in the next two to three years. With the increased amount of prep-school players interested in Arizona, odds are Miller will sign one of them. If that happens, it will be a triumph for him beyond the normal scope of recruiting.

UA's Class of 2011 recruit Sidiki Johnson of Oak Hill Academy plays in the Nike Youth Basketball League tournament this weekend in Los Angeles (photo courtesy of Johnson)

Class of 2011 power forward Sidiki Johnson of Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy knows he will attend Arizona, so he is focusing his attention in this summer’s tournament circuit to work on his game.

His next opportunity is in the Nike Youth Basketball League tournament in Los Angeles this weekend. It will be the first time Johnson, who has verbally committed to attend Arizona, showcases his skills (in his case, works on his skills) on the West coast.

“I just want to get better with my foot work, work on my outside game, and just become an all-around player on both ends,” Johnson, 6-foot-9, communicated to me via a text message Wednesday.

In terms of the camps this summer, Johnson said, “I just want to play and have some fun.”

Another potential Class of 2011 recruit for Arizona — shooting guard/wing player Damien Leonard of Greenville (S.C.) J. L. Mann High School — will play in the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in North Carolina this weekend. He will be part of the Team Power (Georgia) AAU team that will play at the Dean E. Smith Center on the North Carolina campus beginning Friday night.

A week after unofficially visiting Arizona on May 15-16, Leonard traveled West again last weekend to train with the adidas Nations team in Las Vegas. Leonard’s mentor Willis Holliday told me after the Arizona visit that this summer for Leonard will not include a strenuous schedule other than the Gibbons TOC event, adidas Nations events and the AAU Super Showcase in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., in late July.

One of Johnson’s greatest assets is his versatility, according to recruiting guru Van Coleman.

“He can face (the basket) and pop a 12-footer, or explode to the rim to create highlight dunks, and acrobatic finishes,” Coleman, of Hoopmasters.com, reports. “He has big hops and and a long frame that allows him to go over opponents to pull down rebounds.”

Johnson figures to shore up the UA’s frontcourt following the departure of Jamelle Horne, who will exhaust his eligibility after 2010-11 season.

Greenville (S.C.) J.L. Mann High School guard Damien Leonard was impressed with Arizona's tradition when he unofficially visited the campus this weekend (Damien Leonard photo)

The unofficial visit by Greenville (S.C.) Class of 2011 product Damien Leonard over the weekend “was extremely impressive,” according to his traveling team coach Willis Holliday.

In fact, the trip went so well, that Leonard wants to take in the campus again officially in the fall before signing in November, Holliday told me Sunday night.

For those who care about the Rivals.com star system, it appears that UA coach Sean Miller and his staff took a significant step toward landing their first Five-Star recruit (which includes their time at Xavier). Rivals.com’s initial Class of 2011 ratings show Leonard, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard/wing from J.L. Mann High School, as the No. 14 prospect, good enough for a Five-Star rating at this point.

“The facilities and the people are what impressed us the most,” said Holliday, who coaches the Carolina Cougars AAU program. “When you walk into that arena (McKale Center) and you see what Lute (Olson) did, you just come away amazed. Damien saw first hand how committed that university is to the basketball program.

“He also got to meet some academic advisors and they did a good job presenting the academic side of the university. I don’t think the visit could have gone any better for Damien.”

Leonard’s visit went without a hitch despite the fact that school is out and most of the Wildcats have departed to their hometowns.

Next in store for Leonard is a visit to Oklahoma State on June 3. He already has unofficially visited South Carolina, which “ranks right up there with Arizona in terms of how they hosted Damien’s visit,” Holliday told me. Leonard also has Clemson and Virginia Tech high on his list.

“I wouldn’t say I have a top five,” Leonard told me Friday before he departed for Tucson. “I guess you can say all of those schools are right up there.”

Holliday indicated to me that Leonard now wants to concentrate on training and his academics. He added, “I think we’re pretty much set on the schools we want to look at. I don’t foresee any other schools entering the picture. That’s how we’ll handle it.”

Holliday also reiterated that Leonard wants to narrow his choice to three schools by the end of the summer and take official visits to those institutions in the fall. That means Arizona stands a good chance of being in his top three.

In the meantime, Leonard will be busy with summer events and tournaments, including the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions the last weekend of this month. Leonard is also slated to take part in the adidas Nations training camps and events in Las Vegas (next weekend), Portland and Chicago. He will also participate in the AAU Super Showcase in Orlando in late July.

“Damien realizes he has to start focusing on his skills,” Holliday said. “The biggest things he wants to work on are his ball-handling and passing skills. Believe it or not, despite the fact that he is almost 6-5 and still undergoing a growing spurt, he can play the point.

“He will show that he can handle that position this summer by working hard at it.”

Holliday added that Leonard, whose best attribute is his perimeter shooting stroke, can grow into being a wing player.

“I can definitely see that because he has the potential to grow to 6-6 or 6-7,” Holliday said. “You have to be able to handle the ball and distribute at the wing, so that’s his focus this summer.”

RECRUITING NOTES: Chris Hill, a 6-foot-8-inch forward from Christian Faith Center Academy in Raleigh, N.C., told me Saturday night that Arizona continues to show an interest in him. When asked how much, Hill answered: “A lot … I deal with Coach Emmanuel Richardson.” However, Hill said his completion of core classes has yet to be approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse. Hill, who transferred from Stevens Prep in Raleigh to the Christian Faith Center this school year, will also attend three summer-school classes to earn enough necessary credits. … Nevertheless, Hill said that Richardson has expressed an interest in him to take an unofficial visit to the UA campus next month. Hill is not certain of the date. “When players get back (for summer school), but I don’t know that date though,” he said. The first summer-school session starts June 7. Hill scored 30 points with 14 rebounds and six assists when Stevens Prep played Doron Lamb and Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy earlier this season. … How about this for a recruiting twist involving Arizona and Kentucky? A Kentucky targeted recruit from that state has been offered a scholarship by Miller, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. Darryl Hicks, a Class of 2013 shooting guard from Shelby County High School, has been offered a scholarship by Indiana and Arizona, but he lists his top three as Indiana, Kentucky and Cincinnati. In the last two weeks, primary Arizona targets Kadeem Jack of Manhattan (N.Y.) Rice High School and former Florida forward Eloy Vargas have focused their attention on John Calipari’s program instead. Vargas committed to Kentucky over the weekend.